桜餅-Sakura Mochi (Cherry Cakes)
The first thing to know about cuisine in Japan is that there is an intense rivalry between the southern Kansai area (including Kyoto and Osaka) and the northern Kanto area (including Tokyo). Ever since the capital was moved to Tokyo from Kyoto, there has been a cultural war between the areas. Kanto/Tokyo represents modernity and metropolis, and Kansai (usually when talking food, Kansai is synonymous with Kyoto) represents the classical and refined. For an American, a country the size of California making such a fuss over regionality when you can drive between them in a matter of a few hours seems ludicrous. In any case, it ends up that a lot of food has two versions, such as sakura mochi.
桜餅関西風 (Sakura mochi, Kansai style)
From Tsuji.
桜餅関東風 (Sakura mochi, Kanto style)
From Tsuji.
桜餅和辜 (Sakura mochi, Wako style)
What I made this morning.
桜餅盛り付け (Sakura mochi presentation)
Unlike the Tsuji mochi, this is served in between two leaves. The leaves should always face inward so the smooth side is what is touching the mochi.
I personally prefer the Kansai-style mochi here, which is made with real glutinous rice rather than a pancake made with rice flour. But the Kanto-style cakes are prettier and that's what my restaurant serves.
作り方（１２人分以上）
小麦粉 １００g
白玉粉 ２５g
水 ３００cc
グラニュー糖 ３５g
１。白玉粉を少量の水（分量の水）でよく練る。
２。よくふるった小麦粉を１。に少しずつ加え、水を足ながら練る。
３。粒が残らないようによく研がし溶かし。グラニュー糖を加えてかくはん器でよく混ぜる。
４。適当に焼く（ホットプレートがよい）。
Recipe-
(Makes at least 12 cakes)
Flour 100 grams
Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) 25 g
Water 300 cc
Granulated sugar (white sugar) 35 g
1. Add a little bit of water (from the 300 cc) to the shiratamako and mix with with your fingertips in a bowl, until completely melted. (The reason for doing with your fingers is so that 1. you can feel if if is all dissolved and 2. you don't mix in a lot of air.)
2. Add the flour (sifted) and the water gradually, a bit at a time, while stirring with your fingers. Do in sets to make sure you have it all dissolved. This is the important step.
3. When completely smooth, add the sugar and mix. You can use a whisk now.
4. Wrap and put in the fridge at least 30 minutes to set and thicken a bit. Mix again, trying to avoid whipping up bubbles. Cook like a pancake, in oval shapes, on very low heat. Turn by picking up the edge with your fingers and peeling off, then flipping. You want them to be totally white (no brown) so do slowly, on low heat, and only use a tiny bit of oil wiped on the pan for the first cake. After the first one, just keep wiping in between cakes with a paper towel. Pull off onto parchment paper.
When cool, shape the an (bean paste) into a slightly flattened cylinder and fold mochi over it. Add a salted cherry blossom and salted cherry leaves (rinsed once and patted dry) about 30-45 minutes before serving to allow the scent to be absorbed by the mochi.
The point is to get a totally smooth cake, which is really difficult, but you can see by the Tsuji picture that even the experts have a hard time doing that. Some people dye their mochi a light pink as well. The salted flower is purely decorational, but do try to get ahold of the leaves, as their spicy scent is what really makes this dessert special.
Note-Shiratameko means GLUTINOUS rice flour. It is the binder, and regular rice flour won't do.
桜餅関西風 (Sakura mochi, Kansai style)
From Tsuji.
桜餅関東風 (Sakura mochi, Kanto style)
From Tsuji.
桜餅和辜 (Sakura mochi, Wako style)
What I made this morning.
桜餅盛り付け (Sakura mochi presentation)
Unlike the Tsuji mochi, this is served in between two leaves. The leaves should always face inward so the smooth side is what is touching the mochi.
I personally prefer the Kansai-style mochi here, which is made with real glutinous rice rather than a pancake made with rice flour. But the Kanto-style cakes are prettier and that's what my restaurant serves.
作り方（１２人分以上）
小麦粉 １００g
白玉粉 ２５g
水 ３００cc
グラニュー糖 ３５g
１。白玉粉を少量の水（分量の水）でよく練る。
２。よくふるった小麦粉を１。に少しずつ加え、水を足ながら練る。
３。粒が残らないようによく研がし溶かし。グラニュー糖を加えてかくはん器でよく混ぜる。
４。適当に焼く（ホットプレートがよい）。
Recipe-
(Makes at least 12 cakes)
Flour 100 grams
Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) 25 g
Water 300 cc
Granulated sugar (white sugar) 35 g
1. Add a little bit of water (from the 300 cc) to the shiratamako and mix with with your fingertips in a bowl, until completely melted. (The reason for doing with your fingers is so that 1. you can feel if if is all dissolved and 2. you don't mix in a lot of air.)
2. Add the flour (sifted) and the water gradually, a bit at a time, while stirring with your fingers. Do in sets to make sure you have it all dissolved. This is the important step.
3. When completely smooth, add the sugar and mix. You can use a whisk now.
4. Wrap and put in the fridge at least 30 minutes to set and thicken a bit. Mix again, trying to avoid whipping up bubbles. Cook like a pancake, in oval shapes, on very low heat. Turn by picking up the edge with your fingers and peeling off, then flipping. You want them to be totally white (no brown) so do slowly, on low heat, and only use a tiny bit of oil wiped on the pan for the first cake. After the first one, just keep wiping in between cakes with a paper towel. Pull off onto parchment paper.
When cool, shape the an (bean paste) into a slightly flattened cylinder and fold mochi over it. Add a salted cherry blossom and salted cherry leaves (rinsed once and patted dry) about 30-45 minutes before serving to allow the scent to be absorbed by the mochi.
The point is to get a totally smooth cake, which is really difficult, but you can see by the Tsuji picture that even the experts have a hard time doing that. Some people dye their mochi a light pink as well. The salted flower is purely decorational, but do try to get ahold of the leaves, as their spicy scent is what really makes this dessert special.
Note-Shiratameko means GLUTINOUS rice flour. It is the binder, and regular rice flour won't do.